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Sunday, 10 December 2017

12 Essential Bottles For Your Hostess or Guests This Christmas

Do you have the annual dilemma of what to take to your hostess over the Christmas and New Year period. Or maybe you want to give the man of the house a lovely selection of wines to keep him out of the way while you cook the Christmas turkey!! (or possibly to keep yourself busy whilst he cooks the turkey!)

I have put together a little box of twelve wines, champagnes and other festive tipples for you to have a look at and if you are considering putting together your own box consider some of these.

Asda have an impressive range this holiday season - lets start with Champagne:-

Louvel Fontaine Champagne Brut - from the Champagne region in France and made from the Pinot Noir (70%), Chardonnay (20%) and Pinot Meunier (10%) grapes. I really loved this very classic, very fresh champagne with a lingering taste of fresh apple and citrus. The RRP is £18.00, a great price for this lovely bottle of fizz!

For the red wine lover I have put in Winetek Cosmic Shepherd Malbec from Chile - Very concentrated but smooth. I detected a slight smell of figs and the outdoors. I liked the outside taste of which it had loads of. The grape varieties are Malbec (85%) and Syrah (15%) - RRP £5.00.

I really love a good Chablis from the Burgundy region of France made from 100% Chardonnay grapes. It is refreshing and has a long and pleasant finish. The RRP is £10.48 and will be appearing on my table this year for sure.

To complete the selection from Asda I really liked the De Bortoli Botrytis Semillon from New South Wales in Australia. I wish sweet dessert wines were more popular because I really like that rich sweetness that adds an added dimension to your pudding or sweet course. This one is made from 100% Semillion grapes and has an RRP of £6.98 - a bargain for such a smooth wine.

Aldi also have an impressive range of wines, sparkling wines and other exciting offerings this Christmas. for example:

Champagne Veuve Monsigny Brut NV from Elabore Philizot et fils, a traditional blend of Chardonnay, Piot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. This comes from the Champagne region of France and is a regular item on the Aldi Champagne list.

Both Mr R and I like a fully bodied red like this 'La Sogara' Amarone Della Valpolicella from Italy with a traditional cork stopper. This 2014 red wine is made from 70% Corvina Verona, 10% Rondinella and 20% other grape varieties and has an RRP of £12.99 in store.

For the white they suggest the Exquisite Collection Limestone Coast Chardonnay 2016 from the Limestone Coast in Australia. This unoaked and dry and balanced refreshing white wine made of 100% Chardonnay grapes. This bottle has a screw cap which helps prevent spoilage due to the cork drying out. The RRP of this wine is £5.79

After dinner with the cheese course I would recommend Maynard's 10 Year Old Tawny Port. Much lighter than a Ruby Port. At 20% volume it is bottled in 2017 in the Douro region of Portugal and made from a blend of 30% Tinta Ruriz, 30% Touriga Franca, 20% Touriga Nacional and 20% Tinta Barroca. This combination produces warm amber hughes with a smooth texture and the hint of raisin fruits on the tongue.

Morrisons offer a sweet sherry for my Christmas box. This lovely sweet liquid is made in Spain where the grapes are slowly dried in the sun to increase their sweetness. It has an ABV of 17% and is perfect drizzled over ice cream for an indulgent holiday pudding!

Following on my sweet tooth train of thought is a chocolatey velvet wine from Rubis. At 15% it is an indulgent blend of fortified red wine and premium chocolate making it akin to chocolate velvet a great after dinner drink when served at room temperature or equally lovely served straight over ice!

Another red worth mentioning is Passi Mento, Veneto - Indicazione Geografica Tipica 2015. This is an Italian wine from Verona in Northern Italy, a velvety red wine partially produced with grapes that have been slightly dried before fermentation

Mr R loves a drop or two of Spanish Rioja and Campo Viejo is on his list of favourites but rioja wines are known to be red. I was intrigued when I first saw a white rioja from Campo Viejo but it did not dissapoint. I have grown rather fond of it and have pleasure in including it in this essential bottle list. The wine is made from the white grapes of Viura and Tempranillo Blanco resulting in a crisp, citrusy wine perfect on it's own ( I like mine with a couple of ice cubes) or with the usual chicken, fish or vegetable dishes.

I hope you like my 12 essential bottles for your hostess or guests this Christmas. Please leave a comment below what wines you will be taking with you this festive season.

I was sent a selection of wines included in this post as well as purchasing some myself.. I was not required to write a positive review and as usual all opinions and photos are my own. No photos may be reproduced in any form without my written permission.